Can opener



April 2Q m37, W. E. cems 2,7?,675

` CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 20, 1935 NVENTOR WALLACE ECHOSS BY v y l A TTORNE Ys! Patented Apr. 20, 1937 e I UNITED A STATT-:s PATENT oFFlcE CAN PENER Wallace E. Cross, Detroit, Mich., assigner of onehalf to John S. Murray, Detroit, Mich.

Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,707 22 Claims. (Cl. 164-119) This invention relates to container openers, handle 3 having anapproximately V-shaped end and particularly to an improvement on the openportion 4 bent downwardly at approximately one er disclosed by U. S. Patent No. 1,996,550, issued hundred and thirty-live degrees to 'the handle April 2, 1935. length, its point portion having a slightly in- 5 Sheet metal cans have to some extent replaced creased inclination At the base of the portion `bottles as containers for beverages (and more 4, there is struck out from said portion, centrally especially beer) and it has been found a conthereof, a relatively short tongue 5, which also venient method of opening such a can to pierce forms approximately one hundred and thirty-five the top thereof, the tool disclosed in the aioredegree angle with the handle length. This tongue,

mentioned patent being'well suited for that purwhen hooked under the bead 2 (see Fig. 3), establ0 pose.` It is well knovrfhat beer and many other lishes a fulcrum about which the tool may be beverages releasel considerable aas unless meinswung to press the portion 4 strong1y against the .tained at a 10W temperature, and that SllCh beV- can top and pierce therein a V-shaped opening. erages are commonly under more 01 leSS Slllief- The present invention consists in applying to atmospheric pressure, when in sealed containers. the described tool a guard 5, formed preferably Consequently When a can 0f beer is pierced there of sheet metal, and so disposed above the portion s often a tendency for the beverage to spurt up 4 as to block any jet Spurting upward from the with considerable torce. The resulting waste of pierced opening. Preferably Such guard s Cip the beverage is oplefmonable' but much more Se' cular and upwardly dished so as to overcome any 2o 1011515 the possblhty 0f damage t0 Clothes and tendency of the jet to deflect laterally. said ao mltnisui' object of the-present invention to equip guard s preferably of a diameter Consqerably a Campieming tool with a guard or shield that exceeding the width of the portion 4, projecting Wn'l @Struct the ath of an .et of 1i uid u* laterally and forwardly beyond said portion sufp y J q p ilciently to dentely prohibit any upward escape littSsfot go; l of wie The sued my be peripheren formed 2 as to avoid any lateral deflection of the jet. with a tongue a teemnauy Welfed or omerwise Adaptation of the guard to undergo a limited secured to the handle s near its juncture with the up and down Swinging movement on the can" portion (Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4), or. attachment to piercing tool is a further object, the guard being the e001 me? be effecten by, bedmg around the 3G thus permitted to maintain Contact with a can handle a pen' of lugs 8f proeetmg letereuy from top, as the piercing member is swung down withthe tongue (Flgs- 5 6 and D' m the can. If the guard is welded or otherwise rigidly conu These, and Various other Objects the invention nected to the tool it is necessary that tongue l attains by the construction hereinafter described, flex dllmg DICIClIlg of a can, so that the portion 35 and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, e mail Swing down W'hln a CM1 While 'the gua-Td wherein; remains seated on the top thereof, this being Fig l is a top plan view of a can-piercing tool Cleal'lf indicated in Fis'- 4- with attached guard, lli the lugs 8 are employed to attach the guard 4,) Fig, 2 is a bottom View of the Same, to the tool, it is preferred to provide a space be- 40 Fig. 3 is a side elevational view thereof. tween the tongue l and the aligned lower portions Fig. i is an elevational View, partially in secof the lugs s'cient to afford the guard such antion showing the tool in use. guiar play as is necessary. By forming the han- Flg. 5 is a top plan view of the tool, showing die edges with a pair of opposed notches t to 5,2m alternative construction whereby the guard receive the lugs 8,the guard maybe definitely held M is attached. in suitable proximity to the cutting portion of Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of the con the tool. struction shown in Fig. 5. The described guard may be inexpensively Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line l-Jd stamped out of sheet metal in single operation, of Fig. 6. and adds only slightly to the cost of the piercing 50 In these views, the reference character l desigtool. It :fully eliminates the possibility of damage notes a sheet metal can having a bead 2 outstanddue to up-spurting of the beverage.

ing from its wall at the juncture thereof with the The invention is presented as including all such can top. modifications and changes as come within the A tool for piercing the can top comprises a scope of the following claims. 55

What I claim is:

1. A container opener comprising a handle, a piercing member carried by an end portion of the handle and downwardly projecting in use, and a guard carried by the handle above the piercing member and proportioned to block any liquid jet upspurting from an opening formed by the piercing member. v

2. A container opener comprising a handle, a piercing member carried by an end portion of the handle and downwardly projecting in use, and a guard carried by the handle above the piercing member, and proportioned to block any liquid upspurting from an opening formed by the piercing member, and angularly movable on the handle to maintain contact with a container top during downward actuation of the piercing member within the container.

3. A container opener comprising a handle, a piercing member carried by an end portion of the handle and extending forwardly and downwardly from the handle, and a guard attached to the handle at itsjuncture with the piercing member and projecting above the piercing member and forwardly and laterally beyond the piercing member to block any liquid upspurting from an opening formed by the piercing member, said guard being movable to assume various angular relations to the piercing member.

4. A container opener comprising a handle integrally formed with a piercing member extending forwardly and downwardly relative to the handle, a Iulcrum member carried by the handle and operatively engageable with a container at the juncture of the container sides and top, and a guard projecting from the handle above the piercing member and extending laterally and forwardly beyond the piercing member to block any liquid upspurting from an opening formed by the piercing member.

5. A container opener comprising a handle terminally formed with a downwardly bent piercing member, a tongue downwardly struck from said handle adjacent to the piercing member and forwardly projecting to form a fulcrum member operatively engageable with an edge portion of a container, and a guard attached to the handle between said tongue and piercing member and projecting above the piercing member to block any liquid upspurting from an opening formed by the piercing member.

6. A container opener, comprising a handle integrally formed with a. piercing member, a guard disposed above the piercing member to block any jet of liquid upspurting from the opening formed by the piercing member, and a tongue integrally projecting from the guard and having a terminal portion embracing the handle.

7. A container opener as set forth in claim 6, said terminal portion affording the guard an angular motion to and from the piercing member to permit the guard to maintain contact with the top of a container during downward actuation of the piercing member within the container.

8. A container opener comprising a handle, a piercing member carried by an end portion of and downwardly projecting from the handle, a fulcrum member carried by and downwardly projecting from the handle and operatively engageable with an edge portion of a can engaged by the piercing member, a guard disposed above the piercing member in the use position of the opener and projecting laterally and forwardly beyond the piercing member to block any liquid'upspurting from the opening formed by the piercing member,

and a tongue formed integrally with the guard and integrally formed with a pair of opposed lugs bent to engage opposed edges of the handle, said edges being notched to accommodate such lugs.

9. A container opener comprising a piercing member, ai fulcrum member and a guard member, and a handle carrying all oi' said members, the piercing member projecting to one side of the handle and the guard being carried at an opposite side of the handle and being so opposed to the piercing member as to block any jet of liquid spurting from an opening formed by the piercing member.

10. The combination with a container opener having a piercing member, of a guard attached to the opener and so opposed to the piercing member as to block any liquid spurting from a container opening produced by the piercing member,

a container as the piercing member enters the container.

11. A can opener comprising: a piercing point, a splash guard hinged over and covering said piercing point, and a handle whereby to operate said opener.

12. A can opener comprising: a piercing point, a splash guard hinged over and covering said piercing point, a handle whereby to operate said opener, and means for keeping said guard pressed toward said piercing point.

13. A can opener of the one stroke rocker type comprising: a piercing portion provided with a hook which engages the rim of the can and serves as a fulcrum around which the piercing point swings, and a splash guard hinged to said piercing portion near said hook. 14. In combination, a can opener having a portion adapted to be pressed against the top of a can to rupture the metal thereof, and a substantially cup-shaped member detachably connected to the can opener and adapted to encircle that portion of the can to be ruptured.

l5. The combination with a container opener comprising a handle having a downwardly bent end portion terminating in a piercing point and having a downwardly bent, fulcrum-forming lug adjacent to the bend oi said end portion, of a splash guard disposed above the piercing point and attached to the container opener adjacent to said lug.

16. The combination with a container opener comprising a piercing member, a handle carrying the piercing member, and a fulcrum member carried by the opener, the opener having oppositely notched edges,'of a splash guard disposed above the piercing member and having a portion attaching it to the opener and engaged in the opposed notches ot the opener, and thereby ren strained from shifting lengthwise of the opener.

17. The combination with an elongated container opener terminally formed with a piercing point and provided with a fulcrum member between its ends, of a splash guard disposed above the piercing point and having an opening loosely receiving the opener, and thereby afforded an angular motion relative to the opener.

18. 'I'he combination with a unit comprising an interconnected container-piercing member and a splash guard, the piercing member being disposed beneath and downwardly' projecting from the guard, oi a fulcrum member for the unit engaging the unit. in proximity to the interconnection ci' the piercing member and guard.

19. A container opening unit comprising a subfulcrum means for the unit arranged beneath' said tongue. i

20. The combination with an elongated container opener terminally formed with a piercing point and provided with a Iulcrum member between its ends, of a splash guard attached to the opener between the ends of the opener, and projecting freely above the opener, toward and beyond the piercing'point.

21. The combination set forth in claim 20, the splash guard being yieldable on the opener, and thus adapted to bear on a can top as such top is pierced by said point.

22. The combination with a container opener having a fulcrum member and a piercing point,

` and angularly movable about the fulcrum member to apply the point to a container, of a splash guard disposed above the piercing point and having a pivotal connection with the container opener, adapting said guard to seat upon a container during functioning of the opener.

WALLACE E. CROSS. 

